Labaran Maku Apologizes To Senate Over Provocative Comment.

The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, on Tuesday recanted an earlier comment that resolutions of the Senate were merely advisory and not binding on the Executive.Speaking while appearing before the Senate Committee on Information and Media, LabaranMaku said he made the statement last week under pressure from journalists at a press conference in Abuja.

At the said press conference, the Minister had been pressed for comments on the resolutions of both arms of the National Assembly, asking President Goodluck Jonathan to drop the proposed N5000 note and conversion of N5, N10 and N20 to coins.

LabaranMaku responded by saying that the National Assembly could not dictate to President Jonathan.

However, while appearing before the committee, Mr Maku was confronted with the Doctrine of Necessity which was passed into resolutions by the Senate and House of Representatives in February 2010 and enabled then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to become Acting President.

At the time, President Umaru Yar’Adua was hospitalised in Saudi Arabi, a situation which created a power vacuum as he did not hand over to Mr Jonathan before leaving Nigeria for Saudi Arabia.

The committee reminded LabaranMaku that these resolutions led to Mr Jonathan ascending the office of President when Yar’Adua eventually died.

The committee also reminded LabaranMaku that his emergence as minister was made possible after a resolution passed by the Senate, to which he agreed.

The minister said his comments were not meant to disparage the National Assembly and tendered an apology.

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